St Louis County, Missouri - EM48sr
01 Aug 10
The FLEX 1500 is finally here!
Where I operate:
Daytime: 14.236 Digital Voice and Data CW Evenings: 7.025 and 14.025 +/- a few kHz Also, active on 6m thru 3 cm SSB, FM and ATV. CW QRQ QSOs with my dad on 7.031, W4BI when he is able to get to the radio (now 98!) Run mobile CW only 7.031 and 14.025 +/- QRM using a Icom 706MK2g. APRS/FM using a Kenwood D-710, my APRS SSID is K0PFX-9. In the shack, I monitor 146.730 and 144.34mHz (ATV talk-back) FM, 147.015mHz D-Star and 1285mHz on the Missouri Digital Group D-Star System. Weather conditions (K0PFX-8) at my tower using a Open Tracker+ with a Kenwood TM-271 may be found here.
Modes:
Digital Voice: AOR's ARD9000 and 9800, Fast Radio Modems. DRM's WinDRM and Frequency Division Multiplex FDMDV.
Digital Voice Nets: AOR Digital Voice ARD 9000/9800 meet every Saturday and Sunday at 19:00UTC. FDMDV meets every Saturday and Sunday at 19:00UTC (usually starts early around 19:30UTC) Look for activity through out the week around this same time. 14.236 USB.
CW: Interested in QRQ (high speed) CW on the air or over the internet? Check out AA0HW's "QRQcw" site...go here. Take a look at Chuck's video on setting up the software program called "rufzWORDS" (3000 Most Commonly Used Words in the United States) to help increase your speed and accuracy of copying common words. Member of the First Class Operators Club, FOC Member #1916. I have been a long time member of the CFO, Member #023 and enjoy QRQ ragchew QSOs using my Bugali paddles and various keyboards.
New CWops Club! - I am now a member (#271) of a new CW club called "CWops" - Visit their web site here .
USA DRM:
The
Federal Communications Commission has issued Experimental Radio Service
license WE2XRH to Digital Aurora Radio Technologies (DART) of Delta Junction
(Southeast Fairbanks), Alaska. DART told the FCC that its experiments aim to
determine the impact of high latitude HF ionospheric propagation on digital
audio modulation using the Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) system; to determine the
transmission power levels required to provide adequate signal for high
reliability reception throughout Alaska; and to determine an antenna
specification for delivery of the digital signal throughout Alaska. The
VOA supported by the IBB and
HCJB tested DRM transmissions
using a Rhombic antennas, an HCJB DRM exciter and 8KW amp. Reception was
super here in the mid west. To keep up on the DRM happenings worldwide join the
DRM-NA yahoo group.
DRM News:
Word on the street has it that funding for this project may be in trouble. Three big Continental transmitters have been installed (way underground where temp remains stable) and feed lines connected to X dipole antennas. Testing has been done but so far with low power.
My favorites in the Spring/Summer Season Listening: Radio New Zealand Intl (RNZI) has a strong signal with good decoding here in the Midwest USA. Look for them daily on the 19m band (15.720kHz 2151-0458utc). A new DRM station, REE in Cahuita, Costa Rica 9630kHz (0000-0300utc) has an even bigger signal! And for the "best" in dance music, check out TDPradio (15755kHz 1900-2000utc) followed by the Disco Palace with favorite your oldies at 2100utc all in P-Stereo. Crank up that audio on your Macintosh amp for these last ones!
UniWave's new DRM radio (shown at CES 2010) is now available from Universal Radio. WinRADiO in co-operation with VT Merlin Communications is now offering DRM decoder software in three different versions. For more info visit WinRADiO's site here.
AOR Digital Voice: (sound bite)
ARD 9800 Digital Voice, Data and Image Transfer ARD9000 Digital Voice
AOR's implementation of Digital Voice has now been available for about five years now and still remains a good modem for use on HF. These "fast modems" utilize the DVSI's AMBE codec providing good speech quality without the noise and fading associated with SSB. Despite the poor band conditions of cycle 24, good solid contacts can still be made. N1FFX in Boston and I have made hundreds of contacts over the years despite poor band conditions. I know there must be many owners waiting for the high sun spot numbers to return, but I encourage you to stop waiting, dust off your ARD 9000 or 9800 and join back in on the fun with us. The AOR nets are still active on Saturday and Sunday so check in soon.
WinDRM's DV and Image/Data Transfer: (sound bite)*
Latest release for WinDRM is dated 23-July-2008. For compatibility with EasyPal's image transfer using Reed-Solomon encoding/decoding, refer to Dave, KB4YZ's excellent doc on downloading and setting up the encoder/decoder for WinDRM go here. Digital Radio Mondiale's WinDRM docs Release 1.3, Quick Setup Guide and software may be downloaded from the www.n1su.com website. This is an "enhanced" sound bite showing what the capability of WinDRM. Recorded in a QSO between St Louis and NY with special IQ techniques.
FDMDV:
FDMDV Digital Voice using Linear Predictive Coding
To maintain compatibility with the current release of FDMDV, all users are encouraged to download the 1.3 version dated 20-July-08 and the updated docs V1.4b from the www.n1su.com website. The FDMDV spec is also available. All docs in pdf format. Work continues to find a low bit rate codec to improve the speech quality over the 1400bps LPC currently in use. Here is FDMDV running on HPSDR at the TAPR/ARRL DCC.
For more on Digital voice, visit Amateur Radio Video News here and look for this video and ARRL/TAPR 2008 DCC Conference DVD #5.
Open Source Codec2 in development:
An open source 2400bps Speech Codec is continuing to be developed by David Rowe, VK5DGR. David's goal is to provide a codec with speech quality somewhere between Linear Predictive Coding (LPC) and Mixed-Excitation Linear Predictive (MELP). Codec2 will fill the need for Digital Voice over HF/VHF codec requirements. Codec development is no easy task, but David brings a lot of experience in his past development of telephony and internet applications. I feel confident he will be very successful in this project also. Follow along with his work here at the "Free Telephony Project." This is a very important project and the HF DV community really appreciates David's work to bring us a new codec. Dave, KD0EAG has recently began helping David with writing the many lines of code this project will require. Thanks Dave for your support.
D-Star:
The K0MDG (Missouri Digital Group) repeater is operational on all freqs and linked to the Gateway server. D-Star now has hundreds of Gateways world wide! DStar TV is one of the latest applications utilizing the low speed data capability of the radios to send digital SSTV pictures. Take a look here for more on D Star TV. You may find me on the DStarusers.org website. I monitor 1.2GHz (A) using the ID-1 and the 2M/70cm repeater outputs also.
D-Star DV Dongle and DVAP:
I enjoy using the DV Dongle which continues to have software updates and new applications. Installation was a snap and it works good with my laptop. I have used it in WiFi hotspots and in the mobile phone Sprint network. For info on this amazing little device that allows contacting hams worldwide via the D-Star Network, check it out at the DV Dongle web site here. The DVAP (Digital Voice Access Point) provides a wireless connection (using a D-Star HT) and the internet D-Star Gateway is now available. For more D-Star info, check out the newsletter here.
ATV:
The MobiComm Communications "ATV LCD Kit" is now controlling their little DFM900 FM 900mHz transmitter. This TX is now mated up with the Bensat DR903mx satellite receiver. I am using a 1.2gHz FM TX with this Bensat receiver and have found it makes a good combination. Once you try FM ATV, you'll never go back to AM (well, at least for local contacts!). Using DEMI (Downeast Microwave) amplifiers with both transmitters and the loop yagis. FM provides a much improved picture over AM. Geeks.com has a very low cost "pan" unit with wireless remote control. I mounted a Panasonic color camera on it and use it to pan (scan) my hamshack so my ATV viewers can watch me roam around in the shack. It works quite well although some say it scans a bit too fast. Find the $25 "Cam Scanner-WL" here. You may find other uses for it outside the ham shack too. If you do order something from the Geeks, don't forget the little HE-280B USB Audio adapter (sound card the size of your thumb). At less then 8 bucks, it is hard to beat for both price and functionality as a second sound card with WinDRM. Received a couple new cameras from ATV Research and really satisfied with their performance. I recommend ATV Research because they are very helpful with selecting the right camera for your application.
3cm 10GHz Portable operation:
A 10gHz portable microwave station was completed utilizing a FT-817D for the "IF" and a DEMI transverter running about 2.5w. A club was formed in 2009 here in the St Louis area called "SLAMS" and several of us are exploring the world about 1gHz. More on the club and its activities may be found here. It is pretty amazing what can be done on this band... its more than just "LOS" (line of sight). One member worked 160 miles using similar 3cm portable on a camera tri-pod from his driveway using tropo scattering.
Remote Operaton:
I packaged Glentek's Radio to Ethernet controller for my Icom 706mk2. This is an interesting and easy way to control a radio without a PC. Take a look at Glen's site here. Here is picture of mine inside front and rear.
On the Bench: I have finally completed my second test stand. I have the Marconi 2965A that spent 4 months in the UK being repaired and calibrated! Marconi made some very nice gear ( they are now part of Aeroflex) but repairs can be take a long time and become very costly.
Zigbee: At the ARRL/TAPR DCC in Chicago, I picked up a neat product from John, W2FS he calls the "VSC-X" Virtual Serial Cable that will let you program your radio or in my case, a D-710 "remotely" without removing it from the car to connect to my PC. Using the XBeePro Zigbees, I can wireless "extend" my RS232 cable and program my radio in the comfort of my hamshack. Other radios are compatible as well like the FT817, 857, 897 etc. Software is available to test the "range" of the Zigbees More info may be found at John's web site found here. If you need to extend a com port, this may be an option. A yahoo support group "VSC-X" is available.
Wireless watch? What? Yes, thanks to Jim, N0OBG, I now am experimenting with a Texas Instruments EZ430 Chronos A Wireless Watch Development Tool that controls my PowerPoint presentations, check my heart, run my PC's mouse and many more applications.
Software Defined Radio:
New Flex 1500: I now have the 1500 running at the operating position and it was worth the long wait! I have worked a number of stateside and EU stations with only 5w. A great QRP rig from Flex Radio. Take a look at it here. I'm happy to be on the Flex beta software team which keeps me in the loop for running the latest releases. I am now waiting on the next generation net book with a dual cpu which I'll use with the 1500 to drive my microwave transverters. This will make a great combination for portable work. Currently, I am using a 2 year old Compaq laptop and it runs FB with the 1500 for my HF work.
Currently using the Flex Radio System's 5000A with ATU and second receiver as my main rig. See www.flex-radio.com for their new transceiver line up. It is truly amazing ham gear. Also, I have a Flex 3000 that is integrated into a test stand. But when combined with a laptop and light weight switching PS, this combo makes a great portable too. The new 2m/440 V/U module for the Flex 5000 is expected to be received by early fall.
TEN-TEC recently introduced a new "DSP" receiver the RX-400. This SDR radio tunes/scans from 2MHz to 3Ghz. But what some of us CW enthusiasts found more interesting is the company's new tag.. "The SSB Company" Not sure what this really means for CW ops.
HPSDR (High Performance Software Defined Radio):
HPSDR continues to push the technology with new software and hardware. HPSDR was demonstrated in Dayton at TAPR's booth. A prototype of HERMES/APPOLO was running in the booth. This is an awesome radio! See May 2010 issue of RADCOM for more info.
"Analog" Operating Position:
Flex SDR-1000, ICOM756Pro III, Acom 2000A HF Linear, ICOM IC-8500 Receiver w/TV-7100R, ICOM IC-910H Multi-Band VHF/UHF, Kenwood TM-5411.2 GHz FM, ICOM 706MkII, Alinco DR-235 220MHz FM, DR-M06 6M FM, Kenwood TH-F6 HT, ICOM R3 Wideband RX, ICOM ID-1, 91AD, 2820, PC Electronics TC70-20Sa ATV, Teletec DXP-U150 150w SSTV amp, Bensat DR-903MX 900-1200 ATV FM Receiver, PC Electronics 1300MT 1.2 GHz FM ATV, PC TX133CM 900 Mhz ATV, and SSB Electronics pre-amps on tower and DEMI Amplifiers.
Other interests:
SW Listener analog and digital. For digital, I use DRM's dream software and Coding Technologies (Now Dolby Labs) Digital World Traveller. The Flex 5000 with Dream software has been found to be the better DRM receiver. QRP with Patcomm 500 Dual-Bander and Mosley CM-1 receiver and Hygain Hytower HT-18, 51 foot vertical. The CM-1 was originally made for one of Carl Mosley's salesman who "took ownership" right off the production line. The radio was made about 3 miles airline from my QTH when Carl had his plant on Lindbergh Blvd just south and west of St Louis airport (Lambert Field). Complete with speaker and 6 meter transverter, it is my only boat anchor left in the shack.
Surface mount (SMD) assembly and repair. Test and measurement equipment calibration. Music background in piano and organ (I have an old Thomas Theatre organ with an even older Leslie once used on the Lawrence Welk Show).
DRM Reception in the US: (sound bite)
Tower and Antennas:
72 ft Heavy-Duty US Tower & Prop-pitch rotator, Force 12 C4XL & K1FO 144/430/900/1296
"As seen in..." QST Dec 2004 thru May 2005 QST.
FlexRadio SDR-1000 + ACOM2000A + AOR ARD9000 + PR40 = Software Defined Fun...
FLEX 5000A w/2nd RX, Dell Vostro 400 and dual Samsung 215tw Monitors
Copyright © 2009, 2010 Mel Whitten
